WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on March 14, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event was a joint-promotion pay-per-view event, featuring performers from the Raw and SmackDown! brands. The card for the event featured two main events. The main match for the Raw brand was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between champion Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Benoit. Benoit won the match, making Triple H submit via the Crippler Crossface. The main match for the SmackDown! brand featured Eddie Guerrero versus Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship which Guerrero won after a small package. The event featured the return of The Undertaker in his Dead-Man persona, who defeated Kane after a Tombstone Piledriver. John Cena made his WrestleMania debut at the event by defeating Big Show to win his first WWE title, the WWE United States Championship. Also on the card was a match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. This was both Lesnar's and Goldberg's final match with WWE until the 2012 edition of Extreme Rules and the 2016 edition of Survivor Series respectively. After Goldberg won the match following a Jackhammer, both men were given a Stone Cold Stunner by Austin on their way out. WrestleMania XX was the third WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden (after WrestleManias I and X) and the fourth of six WrestleManias in the New York metropolitan area (alongside WrestleManias I, 2, X, 29 and 35). The event grossed US$2.4 million in ticket sales, making the pay-per-view the highest grossing event ever for WWE at Madison Square Garden. More than 20,000 people from 16 countries, 48 states attended the event, which was also televised in more than 90 countries. The event generated an estimated $13.5 million of economic activity for New York City and created an equivalent of 96 full-year jobs. Storylines The main feud heading into the pay-per-view was for the Raw brand, with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H was the three time reigning World Champion heading into the WrestleMania XX event, with the origins of the rivalry beginning on the December 29, 2003 episode of Raw, when Michaels challenged Triple H for the World Title in Michaels' hometown of San Antonio, Texas. It looked as though Michaels was going to win his fifth World Title over Triple H, the Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff came in to the ring at the last minute and made the pinfall, counting to three for what appeared to be Michaels winning the World Heavyweight title. However, as Shawn's shoulders were on the mat at the same time as Triple H's, the match was declared a draw and Triple H would retain the championship. On January 25, at the Royal Rumble event, Triple H and Michaels faced each other again in a Last Man Standing match for the title, which resulted in a draw, and, as a result, Triple H retained the title, leaving question about who is the better of the two. At the same event, during the Royal Rumble match, SmackDown!'s Benoit won the contest by last eliminating The Big Show. On the following night, Michaels and Triple H were involved in an in-ring confrontation when Raw's authority figure (referred to as the "Sheriff"), Steve Austin, made his way to the ring. As he stated that, although Michaels should have a rematch, he had to "enforce the law" and that even though the Royal Rumble rules gave the winner of the match a shot at "the (world) championship", there was not any specification as to which world title that was. Benoit, who at the time was a member of SmackDown, then came to the ring and said he was taking advantage of that loophole and challenging Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX. On the February 9 episode of Raw, a contract signing took place between Benoit and World Champion, Triple H. As Triple H signed his name on the paper, Michaels came out to inform Benoit that the last thing he wanted to do is rain on his parade. He then stated that he more than anybody can respect Benoit's effort to win the Royal Rumble match and earning a World title shot but suggested that Benoit could've stayed on SmackDown to take care of business while Michaels, himself, was trying to finish his 10-year issue with Triple H on behalf of the Raw brand. Benoit refused to relinquish his guaranteed title shot, resulting in Michaels superkicking Benoit and signing the contract himself for the WrestleMania match. After the two men wrestled a match marred by interference from the champion the next week, Austin decided to make Triple H's title defense a Triple threat match. On March 1, after Michaels and Benoit lost to Randy Orton and Batista, Triple H's stablemates in Evolution, the entire group attacked Michaels and Benoit, ending with Triple H nailing them with the Pedigree and rubbing his World title belt into their faces while they were laying motionless in the ring. The main feud for the SmackDown! brand was between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship. In the beginning of 2004, Angle and Guerrero were allies while Guerrero feuded with his nephew Chavo Guerrero. On SmackDown! on January 29, Eddie Guerrero last eliminated Angle in a 15-man Royal Rumble style match to earn a shot at the WWE Championship. At the prior pay per view, No Way Out, Kurt Angle defeated The Big Show and John Cena in a Triple threat match to earn himself a title shot at WrestleMania on the same event where Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. On the February 19 episode of SmackDown!, Angle was the special guest referee in a match between WWE Champion, Eddie Guerrero and WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Chavo Guerrero. As Eddie was about to close in on the victory, Angle stopped the 3 count and would turn on Guerrero. On the following week's SmackDown!, Guerrero was eager to get his revenge on Angle while looking for him but when he finally saw Angle, he shoved SmackDown General Manager, Paul Heyman and his assistant Dawn Marie out of his way only for Heyman to have Guerrero escorted out of the arena by security. Guerrero was scheduled to team with John Cena to take on Chavo Guerrero and the Big Show in a tag team match on that night but due to Guerrero being escorted out of the arena, he was replaced by Rey Mysterio for the tag match, which Mysterio and Cena won. Later that night, Angle appeared and stated that he attacked Guerrero for the SmackDown! fans and for the WWE. He then referred to Guerrero as a former drug addict that shouldn't represent SmackDown! as the WWE Champion and stated that one day people would be thanking him for a champion to be proud of. Guerrero then re-entered the arena and assaulted Angle until he got arrested by orders of Paul Heyman. As Guerrero got taken out of the building in handcuffs, Angle made some insulting comments to him before the officers drove away with Guerrero in the Police car. On the March 4 episode of SmackDown!, during Guerrero's match with Heyman (while he was handcuffed), Angle interfered and knocked him down a few times until Guerrero defended himself by spitting on Angle. As Guerrero begged Angle to nail him with the WWE Championship belt, Angle did so and raised title the belt overhead to hype their match at Wrestlemania XX. This also marks the first WrestleMania to have a match billed as "inter-promotional", which means that a party from Raw would wrestle a party from SmackDown!. WWE owner, Vince McMahon, named three matches to be inter-promotional on the episode of February 16 of Raw. The first was a match a tag team match featuring SmackDown!'s Torrie Wilson and Sable, who had recently been featured in a pictorial in Playboy magazine, against Raw's Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie, who had protested the decision made by Hugh Hefner not to feature them. On the next match was made at the request of Kane, and had its roots in both a shift in character for Kane and a match at the previous year's Survivor Series. Kane's storyline brother, The Undertaker, challenged Vince McMahon to a Buried Alive match. Kane, who had adopted a much more sadistic persona since being forced to unmask back in June 2003, interfered in the match and buried his brother under several tons of dirt, apparently killing him. On the November 20 episode of SmackDown, Kane appeared to give the eulogy for his brother, claiming that The Undertaker was no longer his brother and had died a long time before that as he no longer embraced his dark side. This rewarded him a title match for the World Heavyweight Championship the following month at Armageddon which it was won by Triple H in a triple threat match also involving Goldberg. The next month, Kane participated in the Royal Rumble and was eliminated by Booker T after the bell from The Undertaker's old theme music began playing just to upset and distracted him. Over the following weeks, Kane repeatedly insisted that The Undertaker was "dead", only to be met with various paranormal incidents such as a rainstorm localized over the ramp on which he stood. On the last episode of Raw, Kane appeared to the ring and saw an empty Casket standing in the ring but as he opened it, he saw an urn inside of it. He then grabbed the microphone and asked if that's what he's been looking forward to. He also stated it's going to take more than an empty casket and an urn to intimidate and beat him. He then stated that the Undertaker's legacy, his 11–0 WrestleMania streak and his life is coming to an end as he said "it's back to the grave for you for good". As he claimed that it's over and that he's not afraid of the Undertaker. The lights turned out but this time, the 10,000 pound wrestling ring lifted off the ground with Kane standing in it and tilted side ways, which would be the final message sent from the Undertaker before their match at WrestleMania XX. On the January 26, episode of Raw, Goldberg came to the ring, and demanded a match between himself against Brock Lesnar, with whom he had problems over the past two months. The night before, Goldberg was entered in the Royal Rumble match, only to have Lesnar (who, as the reigning WWE Champion, was not entered into the match) interfered and hit an F-5, causing Goldberg to be eliminated by Kurt Angle. The following week on an episode of Raw, as a result of the rivalry extending between the two programs, sheriff Steve Austin gave Goldberg the option of attending No Way Out by giving him a front-row ticket. At No Way Out, Goldberg was seen arriving at the arena and being escorted to his front seat by security. Then SmackDown General Manager, Paul Heyman gave a promotional in-ring segment on how SmackDown! was the better program over Raw. Lesnar would come down to the ring to promote his match and to insult Goldberg. Goldberg immediately jumped over the barricade into the ring, where Lesnar performed a running shoulder block to Goldberg's stomach; however he recuperated and lifted Lesnar vertically in the air before slamming him down to perform the Jackhammer. Goldberg was then escorted out of the arena by security. During Lesnar's WWE title defense against Eddie Guerrero later that night, Goldberg returned to the arena and interfered by executing a spear, which caused Lesnar to lose the title after Guerrero nailed him with a Frog splash. On the February 22, 2004 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon named the Interpromotional singles match pitting Lesnar versus Goldberg for WrestleMania XX with Steve Austin as the special guest referee. During the match between McMahon and Eric Bischoff, Lesnar appeared on Raw and nailed Steve Austin with an F-5 then stole Austin's four-wheeler. A few days later on SmackDown!, Lesnar stated that he appeared on Raw just to get back at Austin for giving Goldberg the front-row seat ticket and suggesting that Goldberg would attack Lesnar at No Way Out. Behind the scenes, it was widely known that the match would be Goldberg's last in WWE. Only a week before WrestleMania, however, rumors surfaced that Lesnar, too, was leaving in order to pursue a career in the National Football League. On the last episode of SmackDown! prior to WrestleMania, Steve Austin appeared to get his fourwheeler back from Lesnar only for the entire roster to get in his way by orders of SmackDown! General manager Paul Heyman. Moments later, the entire roster had decided to move aside and let Austin by to confront Lesnar in the ring. As Austin got to the ring, he and Lesnar traded punches with Austin attempting to nail Lesnar with the Stone Cold stunner only for Lesnar to escape, leaving Austin to finally get back his four wheeler and closing in on the show with his trademark beer bash. From one rivalry to the other, it had been simmering for some time between Mick Foley and Randy Orton. In June 2003, following an on-air ceremony honoring Foley for his achievements, Orton and Ric Flair attacked him backstage and threw him down a flight of stairs. In December 2003, Foley returned as the replacement for Steve Austin as Raw co-general manager and gave himself a shot at Orton's Intercontinental Championship, but he walked out of the match and would not face Orton even after the champion spat on his face. In January 2004, a furious Austin declared that Foley would be entered in the Royal Rumble match and he expected him to return and wrestle, which he did by eliminating Orton (and himself) from the match. Foley was later joined by The Rock in the feud, and the reformed Rock 'n' Sock Connection challenged Orton, Batista, and Flair to a handicap tag team match at WrestleMania. Aftermath Despite the effort from WWE to promote the Brock Lesnar versus Goldberg contest, some critics expressed disappointment with the match, with many in Madison Square Garden booing both competitors and only cheering for Steve Austin because of the fact that both participants were set to leave the WWE after the event with Goldberg not signing a new contract and Lesnar going to work in the NFL. Lesnar returns to WWE in 2012 where he confront to John Cena before he was attacked with F-5. Goldberg returned to WWE in 2016 and reignited his rivalry with Lesnar, after the pair had been feuding for several months through social media and during promotional work for the WWE 2K17 video game, which featured Lesnar as the cover star and Goldberg as the pre-order bonus. This would set up a rematch between the two at the 2016 Survivor Series, where Goldberg defeated Lesnar in under 2 minutes. After Goldberg entered himself into the 2017 Royal Rumble match the next night, Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman said that Lesnar would also be in the match after being embarrassed at Survivor Series, however Goldberg eliminated Lesnar. Lesnar challenged Goldberg to a final match at WrestleMania 33 which Goldberg accepted. The match then became a championship match after Goldberg defeated Kevin Owen sat Fastlane 2017 to win the Universal Championship. At WrestleMania 33, Lesnar defeated Goldberg to win the championship and end the feud. At Backlash, the original main event match was between Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H appeared to be out of the picture, as the annual WWE Draft took place eight days after WrestleMania and he was drafted to SmackDown. Almost immediately after the draft, the dethroned champion was traded back to Raw, and on March 29 he demanded that the intended match at Backlash be changed to Benoit and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff liked the idea of the match, but concluded with adding that he made a promise to Michaels for granting him a World title match at Backlash. To solve this, Bischoff booked a return Triple Threat match to serve as the main event for Backlash. Benoit emerged victorious by submission for the second consecutive pay-per-view, this time forcing Michaels to submit to a Sharpshooter. Benoit went on to hold the title until August 2004, losing it to Randy Orton at SummerSlam. The feud between Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero continued. Angle, however, went in for surgery on his neck shortly after WrestleMania and was not scheduled to return to action for some time. To cover this in storyline, Angle was made the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown! after previous GM Paul Heyman was drafted off the brand and promptly quit rather than work for his hated rival Bischoff. On April 15, Angle's legitimate neck problems were further incorporated into the story by having The Big Show chokeslam Angle off a ledge and render him crippled to the point where he could not walk without crutches and required a wheelchair. At The Great American Bash, Guerrero defended his title in a Texas Bull Rope match against John "Bradshaw" Layfield. The match ended with Guerrero appearing to have won, but Angle reversed the decision and awarded the match and WWE Championship to JBL. Shortly after the Bash Angle interfered in a Guerrero match under the guise of a masked wrestler named "El Gran Luchador", but was exposed by the former champion. On July 22, 2004, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon confronted Angle, who was still using crutches and the wheelchair, demanding his resignation for faking his handicap. When Angle would not do so, McMahon fired him and began attacking him with one of the crutches. McMahon saw that Angle was completely healthy as he fended off the attack and thus put him back on the active roster and ordered Angle to wrestle Guerrero at SummerSlam. Angle defeated Guerrero after he forced Guerrero to submit to the Ankle lock. At Survivor Series their feud finally ended in a Four-on-Four Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Match with Guerrero's team (composed by Eddie Guerrero, The Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and John Cena) resulting as victorious against Team Angle (composed by Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, and Carlito). After WrestleMania XX, Trish Stratus went on to team with Christian in a losing effort to Chris Jericho in a handicap match at Backlash. Elsewhere in the Divas Division, Victoria retained her WWE Women's Championship against Lita at the same event. Torrie Wilson's alliance with Sable ended when Sable turned heel and engaged in a short feud with Wilson. Cactus Jack and Randy Orton continued their feud at Backlash, with Jack challenging Orton to a hardcore match for the Intercontinental Championship. Orton won after hitting an RKO on a barbed wire baseball bat. After WrestleMania, Kane and The Undertaker went their separate ways. Before the year was out, both men would receive shots at their respective brands' top championships. Kane faced Benoit at Bad Blood for the World Heavyweight Championship while Undertaker received multiple shots at JBL for the WWE Championship, the last of which came at Armageddon in December. Kane spent the rest of his time in a feud with Lita and Matt Hardy, which led to the debut of Gene Snitsky and a feud with him. Results Other on-screen personnel See also * List of WWE pay-per-view events * WrestleMania Category:WrestleMania Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events Category:2004 Pay-Per-View Events